NASA Astronaut to Share Space Stories with the Public at Space Foundation Visitors Center

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (March 18, 2013) – The public is invited to meet former NASA astronaut Dr. Leroy Chiao, and hear his experiences on board the International Space Station. The Space Foundation is presenting this Audience with an Astronaut experience at its world headquarters Visitors Center, 4425 Arrowswest Dr., Colorado Springs, Colo., on Saturday, April 6.

Chiao will give three presentations and be available for autographs during the following times:

• 11:00 a.m. – noon
• 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
• 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

The presentations are included in the price of admission to the Space Foundation Visitors Center. Admission is $5 per adult, $4 for seniors (65+), $4 for students (18+ with student I.D.) $2 for children (ages 4-17 years). Children age 3 years and younger are admitted free.

Admission to the Visitors Center is free to military personnel with photo I.D., and to people affected by the Waldo Canyon Fire who present a Colorado Springs Together card.
For more details about the Visitors Center, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org/visit.

About Chiao
Chiao is the Space Foundation’s special advisor-human spaceflight. He grew up in Danville, Calif., and earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in chemical engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara. A native English speaker, he also speaks Mandarin Chinese and Russian.

His Space Shuttle missions include:

• STS-92 Discovery, Oct. 11–24, 2000
• STS-72 Endeavour, Jan. 11–20, 1996
• STS-65 Columbia, July 8–23, 1994

In addition, he flew as Flight Engineer 1 aboard Soyuz TMA-5 to the ISS, where he served as commander and NASA science officer for Expedition 10. He lived on the ISS for six and half months.

Chiao received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 2004. After a 15-year career with NASA, he left in 2005 to work and consult on a number of projects. In 2009, he served as a member of the Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans Committee, and currently serves on the NASA Advisory Council. He holds appointments at Rice University and the Baylor College of Medicine, and is involved in educational programs. An instrument-rated pilot, Chiao has logged over 2,900 flight hours in a variety of aircraft.

About the Space Foundation
The foremost advocate for all sectors of the space industry and an expert in all aspects of space, the Space Foundation is a global, nonprofit leader in space awareness activities, educational programs that bring space into the classroom and major industry events, including the National Space Symposium, all in support of its mission “to advance space-related endeavors to inspire, enable and propel humanity.” The Space Foundation publishes The Space Report: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity and provides three indexes that track daily U.S. stock market performance of the space industry. Through its Space Certification™ and Space Technology Hall of Fame® programs, the Space Foundation recognizes space-based technologies and innovations that have been adapted to improve life on Earth. The Space Foundation was founded in 1983 and is based in Colorado Springs, Colo. Its world headquarters features a public Visitors Center with two main areas – the El Pomar Space Gallery and the Northrop Grumman Science Center featuring Science On a Sphere®. The Space Foundation also conducts research and analysis and government affairs activities from its Washington, D.C., office and has a field office in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and read about the latest space news and Space Foundation activities in Space Watch.

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